Native American Legends

Dear 3rd Grade Families,
         Welcome to my favorite unit of the year!  We are starting our exploration into the lives of early Native Americans.  In reading, we will be learning through Native American Legends.  In writing, we will be writing persuasive pieces about our favorite legend we've read.  We will also be learning more about daily life of the Early Northwest Coast People in Social Studies.
         I have included a few of our read-aloud books that we will be reading during this unit.  We will learn about two different types of legends.  First, we will read creation myths, and then we will read trickster tales!
Tuesday -  I will be sending the students home with half sheets of paper to fill out as they watch and listen to these legends.  Each legend is about 3 - 4 minutes long.  If you have trouble viewing these links please let me know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d2Zh318k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOxrvbA_KCE&index=5&list=PLQvpIm0raKPheMxksn70ShAM0PL6rBXro

We are going to be connecting these stories to our studies in writing and social studies.  Towards the end of the unit, we will be performing plays.  I will be filming these performances and will send you the link when we are finished!  If you have any questions or concerns please contact me.

Sincerely,
Ms. Bakamis
kbakamis@gmail.com

Main Ideas & Supportive Details

Dear Families,
    
     Happy October!  Fall weather is here, so please make sure your child wears warm clothes and brings a jacket or coat to stay healthy.  It is also time to make sure that you've gotten you flu shot.
  
     This week we are revisiting main ideas and supporting details in various texts.  In class, we focussed on non-fiction texts.  These skills are not limited to non-fiction, we can practice them with our own independent reading books.  I have included two resources to help support your reader.  When your child is reading at home, please choose one of the following graphic organizers for them to fill out to practice their new skills.

If you'd like to turn these in, please feel free to print them out or email them to me at Kbakamis@gmail.com.  Please feel to contact me with questions and comments.

Sincerely,
Ms. Bakamis
kbakamis@gmail.com

Fractions!

Dear 3rd Grade Families,

         This week we are entering the exciting world of fractions in Math! Here is a schedule of what we are learning each day:

Monday: Introduction to Fractions  - We will be learning the parts of a fraction (numerator, denominator, whole, part).  We will also be learning how to write fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12. 

Tuesday: Fractions in Our Lives - We will be learning about fractions from our own family members.  We will also be learning about fractions found in our families.  For homework, we will be making Heritage Flags.   Each student will be sent home a worksheet to design their flag.  They will be responsible for asking an adult about his or her heritage.  Each piece of the flag should represent where their families are from.  I have included a picture of an example:

 

Wednesday: Constructing Equivalent Fractions - We will learning about equivalent fractions.  We will learn how to construct equivalent fractions with pattern blocks and learn how to define them.  

Thursday: Cooking with Equivalent Fractions - We will still be exploring equivalent fractions.  We will be using measuring cups and rice to understand that equivalent fractions mean equal fractions. I will be sending the students home with their Math Journals to review for the Quiz on Friday!  The Quiz will cover our fraction vocabulary and drawing and constructing equivalent fractions. 


Friday: Quiz on the topics we've covered so far!

If you or your family have any questions, please feel free to email me at kbakamis@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Ms. Bakamis